BlizzCon returned to the Anaheim Convention Center for the first time since 2023, and Blizzard packed its Opening Ceremony with reveals spanning nearly every franchise it owns. The show mixed far-off new games with content you can play in the coming weeks, tied to milestone anniversaries for both Diablo and Overwatch.
Quick answer: Blizzard revealed Diablo V for Spring 2029 and an open-world StarCraft shooter for Spring 2030, plus World of Warcraft: Forever on November 4 and dated updates across Overwatch, Diablo IV, and Hearthstone.
BlizzCon 2026 release timeline
Every dated announcement from the Opening Ceremony, ordered from soonest to furthest out.
| Announcement | Release window |
|---|---|
| Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom | Available now |
| Diablo IV on Nintendo Switch 2 | September 15, 2026 |
| Diablo IV: Season of Hell’s Legacy | September 15, 2026 |
| World of Warcraft: Forever Beta | September 17, 2026 |
| Battlegrounds Aberrations minion type | September 22, 2026 |
| Heroes of the Storm: Xal’atath | September 28, 2026 |
| Hearthstone: Reign of the Black Empire | October 20, 2026 |
| World of Warcraft: Forever | November 4, 2026 |
| Overwatch Spotlight | February 2027 |
| Hearthstone Monk class | March 2027 |
| Diablo IV Amazon class pack | First half of 2027 |
| World of Warcraft: The Last Titan | 2027 |
| Diablo V | Spring 2029 |
| StarCraft (open-world shooter) | Spring 2030 |
The two new games years away: Diablo V and StarCraft
Diablo V (Spring 2029)
Blizzard used Diablo’s 30th anniversary to confirm Diablo V, arriving in Spring 2029. The reveal cinematic frames a grim premise: Sanctuary has fallen and Diablo has already won, leaving no towns or safe havens standing. The development team says that starting point will change how you approach the game, with more details promised at a dedicated Diablo V panel during the weekend.
StarCraft open-world shooter (Spring 2030)
The biggest surprise was the return of StarCraft, this time as an original open-world shooter set in the Koprulu Sector. Former Far Cry lead Dan Hay is heading the project, which carries the simple title StarCraft and targets a Spring 2030 launch. Its cinematic trailer followed a squad of Terran Dominion soldiers through training before shipping them out to fight the Zerg, quickly turning that encounter into a fight for survival.
What you can play this fall
A large share of the ceremony focused on content landing within weeks rather than years.
World of Warcraft: Forever (November 4)
Closing out the show, Blizzard revealed World of Warcraft: Forever, a third way to play the MMORPG alongside Modern and Classic. It reimagines the Vanilla era with room to explore, adding three new zones including Mount Hyjal and the Riverglades, over 1,000 new quests, nine new dungeons, two new raids, and the new Skyborne race, all built around a fresh journey to level 60. Forever launches November 4, 2026, with Beta access opening September 17.
Diablo IV on Switch 2 and Season of Hell’s Legacy (September 15)
Diablo IV comes to Nintendo Switch 2 on September 15, arriving the same day as the Season of Hell’s Legacy. That season brings back the Prime Evils, including the Lord of Terror, alongside Deckard Cain, anniversary rewards, and gear inspired by every era of the series. The udderly malevolent Moophisto also returns to terrorize adventurers.
Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom (available now)
For the first time in more than 23 years, Warcraft III Reforged has new story content. The Forsaken Kingdom campaign covers the fall of Lordaeron and its transformation into the Undercity, and it shipped the same day it was announced. It arrives with the 3.0 update, which adds a large graphics overhaul, a revamped World Editor, and other engine improvements.
Xal’atath joins Heroes of the Storm (September 28)
Heroes of the Storm returned to the spotlight with Xal’atath, the World of Warcraft villain, joining the Nexus as its newest Hero on September 28. Blizzard teased that more could still be coming for the crossover brawler after years of limited updates.
Overwatch Season 5 adds Doctrine and closes The Reign of Talon
Marking 10 years of Overwatch, the team introduced Doctrine, a vampire-inspired Support hero built around life-draining abilities and bat-like drones. Doctrine went into a limited Hero Trial during BlizzCon before a full unlock in Season 5. That season also delivers major reworks for Sombra and Roadhog and adds the new map Watchpoint: Grimsvötn.
Season 5 brings Overwatch’s first year-long narrative arc, The Reign of Talon, to a close. Looking ahead, the next Overwatch Spotlight is set for February 2027, when the team plans to lay out its roadmap for the year.
Hearthstone brings back the Old Gods and adds the Monk
Hearthstone’s next expansion, Reign of the Black Empire, arrives October 20 and returns to ancient Azeroth at the height of the Old Gods’ power. It introduces the new keyword Assemble, which merges two cards into a single, more powerful one for unpredictable combinations. On September 22, Battlegrounds also welcomes a new minion type called Aberrations, born from Old God corruption.
The card game is also getting an overhauled Journal that ties each expansion together with quests, achievements, and events in one place. Further out, the Monk becomes Hearthstone’s first new playable class in six years when it debuts in March 2027.
Where the Worldsoul Saga goes next
World of Warcraft is at the midpoint of The Worldsoul Saga in the Midnight expansion. Its next major update, Eclipse (12.2), pushes the story forward as Xal’atath draws closer to claiming Azeroth’s Worldsoul, leaving its fate in players’ hands.
Blizzard also offered a sneak peek at The Last Titan, the final chapter of the Worldsoul Saga, aiming for 2027. It is positioned to close out more than two decades of Warcraft storytelling while setting up what comes after, with more information promised early next year.
Diablo heads to Netflix
Beyond the games themselves, Blizzard confirmed an animated series set in the world of Diablo is in development with Netflix. No further details were shared, though the studio teased that other properties could be adapted as well. Taken together, the Opening Ceremony spread new content across the immediate future, the coming weeks, and years down the line.